This invention relates generally to golf club measurement, and particularly to simple, effective apparatus by which shaft length and swing weight can be determined. Swing weight is an apparent weight related to the centrifugal force felt by the hands of the golfer swinging the club.
For a golf club, besides its total weight, there are two important and considerable properties, i.e., the length and swing weight. The traditional standard for measuring the length of a club is the distance from the back heel portion of the sole radius to the top of the cap at the end of the shaft. But the best and most accurate method for measuring a golf club is the distance from the top of the cap, along the central line or the axis of the shaft, to the intersection with the sole surface, as at the horizontal ground plane at address position. The latter method eliminates the effect of sole heel radius. Because the length of a club influences its swing weight, the method of measuring length of a club becomes critical.
The common, non-technical definition of swing weight is the measure of a golf club's weight distribution about a fulcrum point, which is established at a specified distance from the grip end of the club. This still does not provide an exact definition. For an exact and meaningful definition, swing weight is an apparent weight or the centrifugal force felt by the golfer's hands who swings it.
There is need for apparatus by which a golf club can be measured, to enable easy determination of swing weight and length.